Attack on Titan: Reluctant Hero's

Karen's pov:



She walked behind Gale with her sword in her hand. Gale was taking a huge risk following the flare. She continued to follow Gale towards where the flare came from. She did not have much choice then that. At some point they were nearing the middle of the city as a building could be seen in the distance. It seemed like a likely case as any to have people in in. That was when they got closer to the building and two people could be seen. The two people were no other then Drake and Flame. Wait Flame? What was she doing here? That was when Gale asked where Veera was. That was when a girl showed up. She was close to flame to close. She was ready to attack the women. Who knew where the king was? The king and Flame in the same place was just asking for trouble. That was when the girl said 'I was exploring the city for danger, but strangely enough, I can't seem to find any citizens of this city.' A thought crossed her mind. That was when she spoke to flame once more. Flame then something about Kala putting someone out of their suffering. That was when Flame told her to get inside that building and no one would hurt her. To save Veera. So Veera was inside. Flame when on about titans. "I will do as you ask." Before going in she walked up to Gale and whispered to him "Kala is not telling the truth. You know as well as I do that there were, people around. We heard them are selves." The whistling for one thing was human. She did not have tame to stick around. With that she walked into the building and quickly found Veera. Her condition was not good. This was not going to be fun. A sword was stick out of her and things appeared to be broken. That was when she began to sing in elvish. She watched the wounds begin to close. After awhile the wound around the sword began to close. She continued to sing and put one hand on Veera chest and the other on the sword. With one swift motion she pulled it out blood soon began to come out and using her song and her magic threw her hand the wound closed quickly. She seemed to know what she was doing. She continued to sing to heal Veera.

 

Gale was a bit confused by what Karen had whispered to him as she walked into the building Veera was in. The only thing they heard was a whistle and he still wasn't sure what was the deal with that. Unless she was referring to Kala lying about the whistle, in which case made a bit more sense. "Didn't you heard a whistle though?" Gale asked.

While waiting for an answer, he heard what Flame had about what the deal that she'd made to have Drake and Veera be released. Admittedly he wasn't all too fond of having to help out the ones who had captured them in the first place, but there wasn't much that could be done about that now. They simply just had to comply.

​

While they had managed to find the one that they were looking for, Veera wasn't in the best of shape right now. Sure was a good thing that they had brought Karen along otherwise things might've been a bit more difficult. Especially given that they were going to ave to clear the outer section of titans. Hopefully that wouldn't end badly for them. "Anyone now where the King went off to?"

 

​

It felt....warmer. As if a blanket had been draped over her body. Her chest didn't hurt, but it kind of..itched. She tried to raise her hand to scratch it, but her hand wouldn't obey her. Well that sucks. She tried again, to no avail as the itching grew worse. Her ears picked up the sound of a strange song, something she hadn't heard before. She forced her eyes open, and stared up into the face of someone who seemed peculiarly familiar, and yet her brain couldn't quite connect who she was.

"That itches." She whispered, before coughing, her chest heaving with the effort. And yet, it was somehow easier to breathe. What the hell? "Where am I?" she asked. "And who are you? And what are you doing?" This induced another bought of coughing as the warm feeling spread.

​

Zack watched as Adelina talked to the bird. "That is so cool." He commented with a grin as the bird flew off. And then he got a sudden idea. "Have you ever been to the edge of Kantya?" He asked, his grin spreading into a big smile. "I could take us there." Good thing he always carried his 3D maneuvering gear. "I've got a special place there, where I like to sit and think. I promise, it's perfectly safe."

He hadn't ever seen a titan there, anyway.

​

Kala blinked before replying to Gale. "Yeah, I heard a whistle, but I figured it was you guys. And when I went to follow the sound, no one was there. That's when I saw the flare." She frowned. "You guys heard it too? Do you have any idea what that was about?"
Her expression was one of puzzlement, though she wasn't concerned. Not yet, anyway. "I haven't seen the king." she answered Chrono's question, a little impatiently. "But I believe her Highness asked for someone to search for him. Any volunteers?"

When she glanced past Flame, the light inside was brighter. The healer she had failed to notice before was fixing the injured soul, sure enough. Kala couldn't say whether she was disappointed or not. But perhaps it would be better to have another able warrior, if they would have to fight titans. She wondered if she could steal their life force too. They might have a lot of it. The thought nearly make her vomit; she was still much too full from the previous life she had taken.

​

Tessa bowed her head. No one else was volunteering, and..."I'll go." she murmured, bowing to Flame before turning to leave, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Was she scared to go back into the city alone? Hell yeah. But someone had to do it, and this might be her moment to help someone. Besides, once she found the king he would be able to protect her, if she ran into trouble.

She jumped into the air, the 3D maneuvering gear latching onto the nearest building and yanking her forward. She could do this.

​

 

Karen's pov:



She was on her knees healing Veera. The girl seemed to be coming to. Then Verra's eyes popped open. She continued to sing in the same way. That was when Verra spoke. Something about itching. It seemed like effort for her to talk. That was when Veera asked some questions. She had to continue to heal the girl. She move her head and revealed that she was an elf. A guard took a steep forward, but another guard took hold of his arm without saying anything. She noticed the guards moving, but did nothing about it. She had a job to do. She had to answer this girl. She knew how to do it to. She continued to sing in elvish and transitioned to English. "Hush now it is time to rest. Time to sleep, rest your head. You are in a city, you are in a walled off place. You are safe. You are with Karen. You will be healed," she said in a singing voice. She was unsure how long she would have to do this for, but she had to save this girl. She did not seem to be in shock so that was nothing but a good thing for the girl.


Griffin's pov:



He reached an area where someone by the name of Drake was. Gale was asking where Veera was. That was when a girl showed up. She was coved in red clothing. It seemed like a odd time for some random person to show up. Flame then spook to the others. She was asking Karen to go help out in the building. Then there was talk about a whistle and whatnot. That was when Tessa volunteered to find the king. Tessa went off by herself. That was not a good thing no one should be by themselves as such as a place as a place with dangerous humans. When no one was looking he sneaked off to follow Tessa. If something happened at lest someone would be there. He was being as stealthily so not to draw attention.

 

So she did hear the whistle, but assumed that if was them who made it. While that doesn't prove that she was liar as Karen claimed, it also doesn't explain where the whistle came form or who made it happen. That was probably an issue for another time though. They needed to find the king, a task which Tessa had volunteered for. No objections could be made nor words said before she left off in search, which left them waiting for her to return.

 

​

The voice was so soothing, sweet and soft. It felt like a lullaby that Veera had always known, but couldn't place. Sleep. Sleep might not be a bad thing. And the nice voice did say that she was safe. That it was time to sleep. She didn't remember Kantya having walls, but maybe they had been built while she had gone away. It had seemed like a such a long time. Her eyelids fluttered, and her head turned slightly to the side as she slowly drifted into the numbing, black void, leaving Karen to her work.

​

Kala shrugged, eyeing Flame's concerned face. "It sounded like a familiar tune, but I couldn't place it, Your Highness. It almost seemed like some sort of song. Perhaps they have magic here? If they do, we need to be very careful." She moved closer to Flame, eyeing the streets and alleyways around them. "I know you said you made a deal with these people, and you know that I trust you with my life, Your Highness, but the word of one guard doesn't equate the opinion of the entire people. There could be some here who will do you harm, regardless of their orders. I don't want that to happen."

​

Zack grinned at Adelina's exuberance, and boldly wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well, then hold on tight!" Using the other arm, he triggered the maneuvering device and shot through the air, nearly running into a nearby tree. "Shit!" He swore, angling his body and Adelina's so that he pressed his feet against the trunk, and neatly bounced off. The rest of the ride was much smoother as they passed the houses and citizens of Kantya, drawing some attention but paying no mind to it, until they had reached the edge of the city. He angled himself once more to pivot around the edge of the trees and shot upward, planting his feet on the small platform.

The deck he had built with Tessa was a circle, six feet away from the tree with a railing around the outer edges, except for the part he had landed on.
The roof was currently a work in progress, only a few boards that had been pressed against the tree. Most of the cover was due to the leaves, sheltering from the blazing sun or most of the rain. In this case, the sky was clear, thanks to luck.

"What do you think?" Zack asked as he left go of Adelina, making sure she had solid footing before stepping away.

​

Tessa ran along the rooftops. She was too nervous to enjoy the feeling of being free, choosing her on path to race on, her own speed. She was too nervous to pay attention to anything in her surroundings, barring that of her next few steps. It didn't take long for her to fall back to where they had originally entered the city, and the king had left them.

Tessa exhaled shakily as she looked around, uncertain and afraid. He had gone...this way. She jumped off the wall before her maneuvering device sprang into action, clinging to the stones as she swung forward. It took only one more to land on the ground. The grappling hook caught when she tried to retract the line, and she jolted backwards. In order to compensate, she arched her back, flipping through the air until she landed, roughly, on her knees.

Wincing, she got to her feet, and looked around. There weren't any signs of the king, or anyone else. It was time. She sat, crosslegged, and slowly inhaled. Exhale, inhale, and exhale again. Reaching into the recesses of her mind, she found the tiny spark she had pushed down for so long, and helped it grow.

Getting to her feet, she shook her coat, catching her reflection in a nearby puddle. Yellow eyes stared back from the white wolf's face. Her face. She wagged her tail experimentally, and shook herself again. It felt so strange, but good. Almost like stretching a muscle that hadn't been used for so long. And the scents. It took a moment for Tessa to figure out which was which, a moment to find the king's. He smelled like Flame. She took off, bounding down the path. There was another scent here, growing powerful with each step. Something wicked. Tessa pulled up, her heart beginning to pound. The wolf was excited, but the human was frightened. Something awful had happened here. And when the stench of blood filled her nose, she howled into the air, the howl turning to a scream as she shimmered back and fell to her human knees before the body of the king.

 

Akari was very impatient, fidgeting and looking very bothered indeed. Usually she could exercise a great deal of patience, but when it came to the king's whereabouts or any of the people she looked up to, waiting was torture for her. The moment she heard Flame speak was the moment she picked up on the urgency in her voice, though she did take a moment to consider that maybe it was her mind just making her hear things. "I don't remember hearing a whistle, but I was a little distracted on the way here. Maybe Tessa heard something? I'll go track her down and see if I can help her find the king" the fae said. She turned in the direction she recalled Tessa going in, and launched herself off with the 3DMG hastily, eager to catch up. She rounded a corner before landing on the ground, shifting into her wolf form to get the scent. Tessa's wasn't overly familiar, but she'd run into the girl enough times to recognise it when it presented itself, which thankfully it did.

She caught up to her comrade somewhat quickly, being an expert with the 3DMG as well as having the tracking capabilities (the scream made it remarkably easy to find her too). It was easier for her to find Tessa than it had been for Tessa to find the king, she was betting, due to Akari heading straight towards the scent and not having to scour the entire city to find it. She rocketed towards the girl, using the 3DMG to keep her speed as she opened her mouth and called out to Tessa, only for her words to be cut off as she saw what Tessa was kneeling in front of. Shocked, Akari lost her concentration and screwed up the landing, falling forward face-first onto the ground and rolling forward a little bit. No words came as she looked at the body of the fallen king.

As she staggered over to the body, tears filled her eyes as she looked upon the man she had looked up to. He'd been more than a king to her, he'd been her friend, or at least she had liked to think so. More than that though, he had been like a father, not just to her but to so many people in Kaynta. "First my mother, then my father, and now you....will the humans never learn? Will they never stop?" she said quietly, tears flowing down her face. She knelt down beside the body of the king and sobbed for a moment. For all her inventive talents, she had never and likely never would invent something to bring back the dead. Once the sobbing had quietened, she stood up and looked at Tessa. She wanted to give the girl a hug, but she'd never been particularly close to the girl, and she knew how fast sorrow could turn to rage at the slightest thing that made a person uncomfortable. She wiped away tears and pointed in the direction she'd come from. "Tessa, can you help me lift him up and take him back please? He didn't deserve this, and he doesn't deserve to have his final resting place be here with these....these...things. He should be at rest at home, where everyone else can visit if they want. I don't have the emotional or physical strength to carry him all the way back myself, please?" she questioned, her voice a little shaky due to the emotions but the girl doing her best to conceal her emotions.



As Akari left, Drake became more restless. Where was the king and Tessa, why weren't they back? Now they'd lost Akari too, albeit temporarily. He wasn't sure he could keep from being worried, or keep standing there watching Flame's worry for her father. He had to do something, something to make things better for them. "We don't know where they are or how long they will be, but we do know one thing. With each minute that passes, the titans grow stronger in numbers. The longer we take, the harder it's going to be. I'm going to go thin their numbers a little. We don't know what went wrong tonight, but everybody's got no place to hide. If we wait, no one will be left and there will be no one to go on. All I know is our lives are gone, changed from this point onwards. I don't want to help these people after the problems they have caused, but I can't just sit by and watch their city be destroyed anymore. My father would've been out there fighting, and that's what I'm going to do" Drake stated, drawing his blades and taking a step forward. He glanced at Flame quickly, fully expecting her to try to stop him. He wouldn't let it happen though. There were only two situations he could see himself disregarding everything she said; if people were in a crisis, or if Flame herself were in danger. The first had already occurred, and if he didn't act soon so would the second, he was willing to bet.​

 

​

Zack blushed slightly when Adelina touched his hair, but refused to move until she had turned away. Only then did he remember to breathe. And then Adelina returned, tears in her eyes. Had it not been her speaking, he wouldn't have believed the words that fell from her lips. He hadn't known the king personally, but his presence had always been one of kindness and strength. "Adelina.." He didn't know what to say, or do, honestly. Flame, making a deal to kill the titans? What was Tessa thinking? The bird had only brought back news of the king's death. That meant everyone else had to be okay.

Instead of trying to find an answer, or trying to meet her heartbroken gaze, Zack pulled Adelina into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. "It's going to be okay." The words were meant to reassure both of them when he said them, putting as much belief as he could into them. He remained silent for a few moments, taking the added liberty of smoothing her hair with one hand as he rested his chin on the top of her head, staring at the peaceful scenary around them.

"Tessa is strong, and I have to believe that she will survive without me there to protect her. Going off alone to find them would be foolhardy, and the city is going to need us if this news spreads before Flame gets back."

​

Kala bowed to Flame, biting her lip to keep from speaking. Did she trust these people? No. To be honest she didn't really have a reason not to, but she didn't. "I'll respect your orders, Princess." She murmured as she straightened, leaning back against a wall to watch the exchange between Drake and Flame. Love was a weakness, and Flame was greatly softened by the male scout. It made Kala only a wee bit upset, to know that her friend might pay the ultimate price for her love. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. But, the future was never certain.

​

Tessa raised herself out of her grief just long enough to notice a second person. Akari. She wanted Tessa's help with something. Carrying the body? Tessa felt a well of anger, but swallowed it. What right did they have to touch the king? If anyone, Flame should have been the one to order the command. But Flame wasn't here, and Tessa knew the other part of her anger was fear, the fear of Flame's reaction when she and Akari brought her father's dead body. It was something she didn't want to face, but something she had to.

"Fine. You take his head." She didn't want to see his face, cold and set in death. She didn't want to see any of this. She had to be strong, for herself, for Flame, and for Zack. He needed to trust that she would return. And she would.

She picked up one half of the king's body, waiting awkwardly for Akari so they could take him back to his daughter, and then to his resting place.

 

For a brief moment, Drake considered stopping and listening to Flame. The worry in her voice was almost enough to keep him there, but it was that same worry that drove him forward. "You won't lose me, Amber. This city was the city my father died protecting, and I have no plans to follow him on that, but there are people that need me, people that need my help. No matter what happens here, I will return to you, I promise you that. Like you said, this is what we were trained to do. It's what I've been preparing for the day I came to Kaynta. I went there seeking help, and I found it. I also found something I wasn't expecting; I found a reason to fight. You are that reason, and as long as that remains true I can face a thousand titans head-on and I'll never stop fighting" the leader of the scouts said.

Drake then turned and fired his 3DMG hook at one of the buildings, causing it to stick into the building and tighten. With one press, he would be flung in that direction as he had been so many times. Turning to look at Flame momentarily, he gave a half cocky grin. "This is the day we show them they were wrong about us, the day that we prove to them we're more than the scum they think we are" the male said, before he launched himself off, followed quickly by Hunter who isn't important enough to get a post of his own. This was about more than him, more than Amber, more than any one of them. This was about all of Kaynta. He would do this, for their sake.



Akari swallowed and stepped forward. She picked up the other half of the king's body, trying her best not to look at the king's face but ultimately she couldn't avoid it. There he was, the man she had respected most, dead before her. Who could have killed such a great leader? Was it really possible that some regular human had taken him down? She doubted it, but there was no other explanation...and if he really had been taken down by a human, she hoped she was there to see him get caught. That would be the day she would invent a new method of execution, one fitting for such scum as them. She began carrying the body back towards the others, fuming at the anger she was feeling beneath her calm demeanor.​

 

What had started off as just Tessa going off in search of the king, ended with it now being a group of three that went off to find the king. Surely with that many people it wouldn't take long for them to find the king. More time had passed and they search party still had yet to return. Now some concerns were starting to arise in Gale's mind. There was still much to this area that they didn't know about, but again they didn't know exactly where the king was. Either way, whatever was keeping them from swiftly returning, they had little choice but to wait it out.

With his head facing the direction that Tessa had gone off in, Gale had figured that if they were to return from that direction then it would be easy to find, well spot them returning. Turns out that Gale's assumption turned out to be true as he spotted two approaching figures in the distance. Soon identifying the figures as Tessa and Akari. The were carrying something as they got closer. Something that not only because clear as they came closer, but the realization of what it was came as well.

What they were carrying with them was the king's lifeless body. Gale (nor MoK who was running out of ideas for this post) had any idea to react to the sight of the king. There was their king dead. This must've happened sometime after he'd separated from them after hearing the whistle, but so far no one knew where the whistle came from. Many things were open to questioning, but first Gale was concerned for how Tessa was holding uo. She carried part of the body here after all. He made his way up to her and asked. "Are you okay?"

 

​

Deep in the forest, the leaves rustled, the birds chirped, the undergrowth stirred. The bird fluttered along, eager to complete its mission. It flew through trees and shrubbery, carrying a piece of bark in its tiny talons. Almost camouflaged in the greenery, a solitary figure stood, which the bird hurriedly headed towards. Resting on the creature's shoulder, the bird tried to get its attention. The figure looked like it was wearing trees, and one couldn't quite be sure exactly what it was. Stationary as it was, it was hard to tell where the creature ended and the forest began. Slowly the figure turned his head, which was masked with a intricate helmet of branches and verdant leaves. "Greetings" It said to the bird formally "Messenger, what news do you bring" Slowly and with care the creature retrieved the bark note. As it moved its arm, various critters were disturbed from their rest upon the figure's body. With serious eyes it examined the note, and gave it back to the bird "Many thanks, and farewell" It stated politely as the bird flew off, to continued its mission. With care to the various creature surrounding the figure, it began to trot on four equestrian legs. As it moved the figure could be more easily distinguished from its surroundings and could be identified as a centaur. The creature had the top half of a human, adorned in wooden armour, and the bottom half of an elegant horse. As it moved out of the thick undergrowth into more open land it began to break into a canter, then a gallop. The creature's name was Galadorn. He was the guardian of the woods surrounding Kaynta, and he had a duty to help his king.

 

​

Veera was still asleep. Healing and shit.

​

Zack hugged Adelina back, wrapping his arms tightly around her once more and resting his chin on her head. At that moment, he couldn't really process the king was dead. Well, his body had, he could tell by the pain in his chest, but his mind was in shock. Their leader, gone. Flame would rule now, by law of inheritance. But would it end there? Why, how had he died? Were they in danger?

"I'll keep you safe." He murmured, gently stroking her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you." He wasn't sure what else he could really do besides comfort her. The king had obviously been very important to her. "Here, wait." He let go of her, but held onto her hand as he led her towards one of the trees. "I've been saving this for some occasion. I guess that now would be a better time then any."

Inside a small hollow in one of the supporting trees was a bottle of wine, pilfered from the kitchens. Adelina might recognize, might not. Either way, he popped the cork and took a swig before offering it to her with a small smile. "Care for some?"

​

Tessa didn't look at Akari, didn't look at the king as they carried the body through the streets, to the rest of the group. She tried to put her mind somewhere else, somewhere less painful, and less cold then where she was now. It seemed an eternity before they finally made it back to Flame and the rest. Tessa set the king down, wiping her face as Gale walked up to her. "Are you okay?" He asked her. She stood there for a moment, trying to work up the words to say as tears became to run down her face. Anger turned to misery, and she shook her head in response before throwing her arms around Gale and pressing her face into his shirt to sob in silence.

​

Kala observed the group with a small smile. They were all so naive and innocent. It almost made her jealous. Almost. But then the girl named Akari and Tessa returned. With the king in their arms. Kala took a step forward, her eyes on Flame. The princess hadn't noticed yet. Kala reached for Flame and grabbed her arm, holding it tightly. Luckily for the girl, she was fed and full on energy. On the king's energy. Oh the irony. Regardless, she pushed those thoughts aside and held tightly to Flame. "Princess..." but her words failed her. For what was there to say?

"You might want to prepare yourself."

 

Griffin's pov:



He continued to follow Tessa. He was keeping at a good distance. He stayed on the rooftops as much as he could. He spotted her turn into a white wolf. Tessa was a fae. This was a new development. He would just follow Tessa. That was when she stopped. For now he would stay hidden. That was when Akari showed up. He should probably go now. Akari was here to help Tessa. He had no reason to stay. That was when he could see that they were moving something. As they moved whatever they were holding he could see that it was the dead king. He wondered how that happened? He guessed it was time to go. He would stay somewhat close to Tessa and Akari in case something happened to them. He would stay far enough away so not to be spotted or heard. He did not need people thinking he was weak for watching over them. He continued to follow Tessa and Akari to they got back to the man area where Flame was. He watched Kala take ahold of flames arm. No one should do that. He watched Flame fall to her knees. He quickly got back with the others before anyone noticed he was gone. Tessa got back safe and that was all that mattered.



Karen's pov:



She continued to heal Veera. Time seemed to go on forever. Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours. In the end she knew that it was not that long. After she was sure enough time pasted she stopped singing and removed her hand from Veera. How did what happen to her get so far? She was so damaged before. She took at seat on the ground next to Veera and waited.

 

​

Veera turned onto her side, her hand sleepily groping for a blanket. Her bed seemed so cold and uncomfortable, it usually only became this way in the winter. But winter was a long way off. She groaned before sitting up, and blinking. And blinking again. This wasn't her room. This wasn't Kantya. She started to get to her feet, and froze as the memories came rushing back, filling her head with the horrors. Oh gods. She held her head in her hands as she shut her eyes tight, keeping the tears from leaving her eyes as her head pounded and her throat tightened. She wasn't aware of anyone at the moment, only her own misery and torment.

​

Zack grinned and took another drink before passing it back to Adelina. His head was beginning to feel warm, and his fingers and toes fuzzy. It wasn't a bad feeling. He had to remind himself not to drink too much, lest a titan show up unexpected. Sure they were safe up this high, but accidents, and bad luck seemed a constant occurrence around the monsters. "I have my ways." He answered the fairy, sitting down and patting the space beside him, in the shade. "I'm a lot smarter then I look."

Sometimes, anyway.

​

Kala let her hand drop, and watch as Flame transformed from the girl she had grown up with into the queen that she was too young to become. It made her....sad, really. What a strange feeling. "I will always follow you, my Queen." Kala dropped to one knee, resting her arm on the left one and bowing her head. "Long live Her Majesty, Queen Flame." She said, keeping her eyes on the ground.

 

Despite being caught off guard by Tessa hugging him, Gale held no objections to the action. Instead, he gently wrapped his arms around the crying girl, allowing her to get out her feelings. Words were still lost to him in this situation, but the difference in this case was that he could at least be there for Tessa in this case. And that was exactly what he did.